The invention relates to an assembly for the treatment of muscle injuries and the like by applying heat and physical action thereto. Conventionally, most physical injuries such as sprains, pulls, bruises, and the like of skeletal muscles, especially in the field of athletics, are treated in part by whirlpool baths. A conventional whirlpool bath is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,237,435. Treatment with such means results in a therapeutic effect by increasing circulation to the injured area by the thermal and physical effects of hot water impinging on the injured area.
While conventional whirlpool baths may provide proper treatment for an injured area, there are many problems associated therewith. They are very large and bulky, and are difficult to transport; therefore an athletic team traveling to an away game must rely on the facilities provided by their hosts, rather than being able to readily transport their facilities with them. A large volume of water is required for each "bath", resulting in a great deal of waste. If the injured area to be treated is the neck, back, or other inaccessible body part, the individual must immerse himself completely within the bath, rather than just treating the injured portion. This many times results in the individual fainting during or after treatment since it is desirable to have the water as hot as the individual can stand; and due to the danger of drowning, it is often required that someone always be present to assist the individual taking the bath.
According to the present invention, the above problems are overcome while proper treatment may still be effected. According to the present invention, a portable assembly is provided that allows for heat and physical treatment of injured areas of an individual's body without requiring an individual to immerse himself in a bath. Also, the body part to be treated may be elevated, thereby further increasing circulation, while treatment is being effected. A relatively small amount of water is required (about 1/5 that used in conventional whirlpool baths), which also means that less energy is required to heat the water to the desired temperature.
While in the past there have been several proposals for physical treatment of body parts with portable equipment with some heat treatment (see U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,204 and Australian Application No. 25,094/30 for example), or for heat treatment with some physical treatment (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,190,384 for example), it is not believed that any such prior art proposals would result in treatment for muscle injuries and the like that is as effective as conventional whirlpool treatment, while apparatus according to the present invention may be able to provide treatment that is as effective.
According to an important aspect of the present invention, the flow into a flexible bag member of a closed system is restricted so that increased velocity of the flow ensues. This results in an effective transfer of momentum through the walls of the flexible bag member to a body part.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a satisfactory substitute for a conventional whirlpool bath that is portable and does not require complete immersion of an individual in a bath for treatment. This and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.